Olympics related Covid-19 cases increases by 28

General view of fireworks above the stadium during the closing ceremony -REUTERS

By Shehan Daniel reporting from Tokyo, Japan   

The number of Covid-19 positive cases among those who were involved with the Olympic Games rose to 458 yesterday, a day after the conclusion of Tokyo 2020.   

It was an increase of 28 on the previous day’s total, which was an accumulation of the number of cases since July 1, and overall total will come as a relief to the Japanese government who did not stop the games despite concerns that the event could worsen the Covid-19 crisis in Japan. With over 650,000 Covid tests being carried out in that period, the total relates to a very small percentage of confirmed cases – less than 0.1 per cent. A majority of those cases, 13, were Tokyo 2020 contractors, while six were volunteers and one from the media covering the games.  
The number of cases among athletes remained unchanged, with no new positive tests returned for the fourth straight day. The news comes as Japan continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, with over 12000 new cases being announced. Over a million Japanese people are reported to have contracted the virus, with 15,307 deaths being reported in the media as of yesterday.   

The new figures of those accredited to the games comes in the backdrop of Japan winning a record number of gold medals at the games, winning over, to a small degree at least, those who had opposed the conduct of the games. There were public protests in the lead up to the games, and even at the opening ceremony on July 24, but were less widespread during the Olympics. “For the first time since the pandemic began, the entire world came together. Sport returned to centre stage. Billions of people around the globe were united by emotion, sharing moments of joy and inspiration. This gives us hope. This gives us faith in the future,” International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said at the games’ closing ceremony on Sunday.  

 “The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are the Olympic Games of hope, solidarity and peace. You, the best athletes of the world, could only make your Olympic dream come true because Japan prepared the stage for you to shine.” “You, the Japanese people, can be extremely proud of what you have achieved,” Bach also said.